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College Credit

College credit is available to all students in Secondary Workforce Programs (those programs listed on the left side of this page under "program quick links"). College Credit is never guaranteed. Students must successfully complete the program and they will have to pass the required "end of the program" assessments. These assessments vary greatly by program. Please look at each program page for a compete description. College credit can be earned through two methods, Tech Prep Articulation Agreements and Career Tech Credit Transfer (CT2).

Tech Prep was started in 1992. Originally, it allowed Career Tech programs to "partner" with a local college. The professors, instructors, and administrators met to determine what, if any, college course credit could be awarded to a student for work completed in the high school program. These two entities would then create an "Articulation Agreement" that formally stated what the requirements were. Originally, these were for the more academically difficult, high school Career Tech programs and enrollment was limited to students who had met certain academic requirements. The Ohio Dept. of Education has directed us to make every program "Tech Prep" by the end of 2013. The Four Cities Compact has always been a leader in this area. As of 2011, all of our programs were "Tech Prep". The designation of "Tech Prep" is no longer a program designation but rather a student designation. Some students are "Tech Prep" and some are not. The designation is assigned to the student upon completion of the program and is solely dependent on the student "earning" the title. Articulation agreements are college specific meaning that each Articulation Agreement is between the program and one college. Some programs have multiple Articulation Agreements and each may award different amounts of credit depending on what that college chooses to offer. As of this year, Tech Prep has been redesigned and there are now six regions in the state vs. the 23 previous consortia. We are in the East Central region. The colleges in this region are the University of Akron, Kent State University, Youngstown State University and Stark State College.

For more information and to find your Tech Prep contact at the college, please see the links below. The links to the individual colleges below are in a period of transition and will be removed or changed soon. You may wish to refer questions to the Compact office or to the high school instructor before contacting the college or university.

Remember, the program links on the left side of the page will have more information on the specific agreement.

The other method to earn college credit is through "Career Technical Credit Transfer" (CT2). This is an initiative driven by the Ohio Board of Regents which oversees the colleges. It is relatively new and we have had approximately 50 students access credits in this manner. Currently, only five of our programs are CT2 because that is all that are eligible. The OBR has not yet created CT2 for our other programs. We expect add one or two programs each year. CT2 is very similar to Tech Prep in that students must complete the program successfully and must pass certain assessments in order to be eligible for credit. The difference is that this credit is accessable at any state college or university that offers a major in that area. For instance, students who complete our Medical Assisting program and earn their RMA or Registered Medical Assistant credential will be eligible to recieve 18 credits towards and Associates degree in this area at any one the thirty state colleges or universities that offer a degree in that area. Upon enrolling, the student and the Compact submit a few simple forms and the credit will be awarded. Students in Auto Mechanics get credit for one college course for each of the four NATEF tests that they pass, earning them up to 8 credit hours. These credits can be accessed at 5 colleges that offer Auto Mechanics. See the "Program Quick Links" to the left to and learn more about what each program offers.